~VACANT POSSESSION: JIM JOE / ANDREW KASS . . OPENING PIX

VACANT POSSESSION: JIM JOE / ANDREW KASS – A DOWNTOWN POP-UP
51 MERCER ST, SOHO, NYC / JAN 28 – FEB 4, 2017 / 3-7 PM VIEWING HRS.
the show opened last SAT JAN 28, 2017 / 7-9 PM

PIX – FROM THE OPENING:

vacant-possession---approach

Andrew-Kass---light-machine
yep, the monster light machine was part of the install . . .

Andrew-Kass---light-machine-outside
the journey begins.
the dark journey into night.

Vacant possession . . can mean many things. here it’s about taking over a (vacant) storefront.
but the possession – is anything but . . ‘vacant’.
yes, it is minimalist – it is mostly black & white / or: literally – electric light vs. black.
silent, profound, it’s meanings are stealth ‘invaders’. aka metaphors.
the landmarks inside are stark. it’s a huge mind-set – ‘set’ in reverse.
the black curtains, the theatrical drapes, are pulled aside yet obscured with bright, stark . . light.
what turns out to be NYC landmarks are small, and smaller – but the possession of the space – is ‘large’ – and larger. visually, conceptually, art-wise . . .
well, one could even say: like Alice In Wonderland – this relatively ‘small’ show by 2 indie artists – gets . . LARGE.
it is a vacant possession – with goals.
while the inverse:
the huge Trump apparatus – is a ‘vacant’ possession – of a ‘huge’ land by / ‘small’ . . minds.
the narrowness of the room – enhances the artificial aspect of . . ‘possession’.

Andrew-Kass---journey-begins
inside-out. as you move inside & look back: the scene grows.
as you realize the industrial-sized light machine’s impact on the interior space / accentuated by the theatrical drapery.

this drapery / light install – is the work of . . ANDREW KASS.
mostly known as a photographer, of people, though I’ve seen other 3-D installations of his, he has a photographer’s understanding of light, and . . dark.

it was very much a kind-of optical . . illusion, like a fun house, like a magician.
you were inside. b-b-but you were always looking, back, and forth. the narrowness of the space worked to an extreme advantage.
vacant – NOT !!!!

b-b-b-black: there was such a somber feel, to the ‘fun’.
Don’t look back. caught between extreme & opposing . . poles.
b-b-b black, and white.
oppositional / singularity, of black & white . . direction / elasticity.
no gray areas, except for the space – YOU, the viewer inhabited.

Andrew-Kass---install
the full-on . . Alice in Wonderland effect.
yes, they did – hand-paint that black and white checkered floor.
game of chess anybody ?

Andrew-Kass---disco-ball
moving backwards, into the room.
it’s: your . . ‘move’.
‘spatial’ possession / intervention ?

Andrew-Kass---disco-ball-&-chain
which brings us to that – hanging, half draped-in construction material / glittering disco ball, also by ANDREW KASS.
here, it’s more of a . . ball and chain.
the next century, of our city’s urban growth / is not the city of 1980 night clubs.
glittering mirrored illusion, urban reality.

ANDREW-KASS---Vacant-Possession-Jan-2017
ANDREW KASS.

Paris-venture
PARIS VENTURE.

TOMMY-MALEKOFF
TOMMY MALEKOFF.

ELISE-GALLANT
ELISE GALLANT, taking photos for PURPLE MAG.

Spencer-&-MERCER-TULLIS
SPENCER & MERCER TULLIS.
Spencer at 26, is the older bro, he is a ‘realist’ sculptor.
Mercer 23, is a ‘realist’ painter. I caught his work recently at the NEIL JENNEY space, West Broadway Gallery, in Soho. – in a show titled: ‘ American Realism Today’.

in a way, this show, VACANT POSSESSION . . was very literally, REALIST . . too.
albeit, stylized, and theatrical.

SPENCER-TULLIS---sculpture
SPENCER TULLIS showed me his newest work, on his phone.

Spencer-Tullis---sculpture-from-back
it was also a matter, of moving . . back and forth. and around.

Tristan-Hughes-freeland
TRISTAN HUGHES-FREELAND.

Carlo-McCormick
CARLO McCORMICK.
also a matter of literally moving back and forth, Tristan is Carlo’s son.
from a rough & tumble street critic / a beautiful artist kid is born.
tell me about it, Kate & Theo. RIP Simon Cerigo. must have been that inner city water – they drank / growing up on the Lower East Side in the 80s & 90s, surrounded by the now, art history legends . . of urban grit.

Spencer-Tullis-&-SEAN-VEGEZZI
tip of the ‘most excellent’ / downtown iceberg: SPENCER TULLIS, SEAN VEGEZZI.

Daniel-Duron-Jan-28,-2017-NYC
ok, we will show some generosity to ‘outsiders’.
DANIEL DURON, an artist from Mexico, now NYC-based.

MARKUS---wall-mural-
not an ‘outsider’ to this crew, but maybe to the world-at-large, and then again, maybe not !!
@theonewhoknows showed me some of his new murals.
this one was painted somewhere in South America, specifically Santo Christo, Rio de Janeiro.

this country was made by . . outlaw ‘thought’ rebels.
and, come on.
get real: unless you are a native first peoples & therefore indigenous . . you ARE AN IMMIGRANT, from somewhere else.
stop the false / fictional / delusional APPROPRIATION.
unless you are a Native American tribes person – you are claiming: Vacant possession. (!!)

JIm-JOE---NYC-landmarks
but, back . . to the show !!
walking the walk, right on that sharp edge of the . . underground.
talking the talk: in the other direction, of the space: JIM JOE.
3 sharply stylized paintings of . . NYC landmarks.
a very Alice ‘n wonderland, effect. the floor – helps !!

but, yeah: in these paintings, the city seems razor sharp, cold. and full of bad bad habits.

JIM-JOE---statue-of-Liberty
ah, LADY LIBERTY: give me . . ?????
ah, LADY LIBERTY, you’ve grown so ‘spikey’ over time.
well, what did you expect, 3 words: WORLD TRADE CENTER, 2 words: TWIN TOWERS, 1 word: down.

JIm-JOE---miniature-souvenir-landmarks-NYC
JIM JOE . . also presented this mini-spectacle on the floor, in like a collapsed kid’s swimming pool, sort of, but not exactly.

JIM-JOE--ONE-WORLD-TRADE-CENTER
the visual richness of the ‘small’ – can never be . . under-estimated.
One World Trade Center.

I was . . kind of surprised, knowing this crew, that there were no World Trade Center / doomed Twin Towers, maybe you can’t find them as souvenirs any more ?
I have a bunch.
but, maybe, this was: NOW.
another kind of vacant cultural . . ‘possession’ ?

JIM-JOE---LADY-LIBERTY---GIVE-ME--
ending . . without: words.
r-e-a-d . . my art.
make my day !!

JIm-JOE---Empire-State-building
JIM JOE.

a wondorous, intelligent . . collab.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~VACANT POSSESSION: JIM JOE / ANDREW KASS . . opens to-nite SAT JAN 28 / extended thru SAT FEB 4

note: the viewing hours have been extended – thru SAT FEB 4, 2017 / 3 – 7 PM

VACANT POSSESSION: JIM JOE / ANDREW KASS
51 MERCER ST, SOHO, NYC / JAN 28, 2017 / 7 – 9 PM

NEW WORKS BY: ANDREW KASS & JIM JOE. THE OPENING WILL BE TODAY, SAT JAN 28, 2017 / 7PM – 9PM.
51 MERCER ST, IN SOHO, NYC.
THE SHOW WILL BE UP FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS FOLLOWING – FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T MAKE THE OPENING.

Screen Shot 2017-01-24 at 3.18.21 PM




~NICHOLAS STEINDORF: ZACH . . sets PARIS on FIRE !!

NICHOLAS STEINDORF – ‘ZACH_VERSION_1.1’
OPENS TO-NITE: THURS JAN 26, 2017 / 6 – 9 PM
EXO EXO GALLERY, BELLEVILLE, PARIS – FRANCE
the show runs thru FEB 2, 2017
don’t blink !!!!!!!

Nicholas-Steindorf---Zach-in-Paris
PHOTO: courtesy NICHOLAS STEINDORF & EXO EXO GALLERY




~NICHOLAS STEINDORF . . OPENING in PARIS / today Thurs Jan 26

NYC / BROOKLYN-based NICHOLAS STEINDORF . . is in Paris for the opening of his first solo show !!

‘NICHOLAS STEINDORF – Zach_Version_1.1’
opens THURS JAN 26, 2017 / 6 – 9 PM
the show runs thru FEB 2, 2017
EXO EXO, 10 ter rue Bisson, Paris
in the . . BELLEVILLE !!

NICHOLAS . . will be showing an installation of 3 animations, Zach’s t-shirt, yellow window-film, sandals, and prints.
he’ll be present at the opening, and available through the opening weekend / Jan 29, 2017.
Please contact Elisa and and Antoine at info[at]exoexo.xyz to make an appointment during the week.

Nicholas-Steindorf---zach---exo

Exo-Exo-Gallery-Paris
image via Instagram @exoexofr

EXO EXO . . . is a Paris-based project space and curatorial program / the not-for-profit exhibition space was founded & is run by . . curator ELISA RIGOULET, and artist ANTOINE DONZEAUD, presenting shows & projects by international artists and curators.

see: EXO EXO on VIMEO

see: EXO EXO on Facebook

EXO-EXO-gallery-logo
EXO EXO – LOGO

Nicholas-Steindorf---website
IMAGE: NICHOLAS STEINDORF via his website

see: NICHOLAS STEINDORF – artist/portfolio website




~ALFREDO MARTINEZ . . FLASHBACK FEB 2003

ALL HAIL, ALFREDO MARTINEZ . . the notorious Basquiat forger !!

the other, really relevant group of photos, posted on that . . artnet / ‘ART LOVERS NEW YORK – PHOTOS BY NANCY SMITH’ report – from FEB 2003 would be the ‘secret’ insider pix concerning the infamous, and entirely TRUE ALFREDO MARTINEZ phony BASQUIAT caper.
the Basquiats were fake, the crime was real, and it landed ALFREDO . . in jail for 2 years.

LIO-MALCA---ALFREDO-MARTINEZ-

that’s LIO MALCA, second row down, 2nd in from the right-hand side.
Lio’s the guy who dropped the dime on Alfredo’s little money-making scheme.
he bought a few of those Alfredo-produced faux Basquiats, I can’t remember / or never knew (?!!) what made the deal unravel for him, but he got the Feds in on the crime, and they set up a sting, with a pretty girl, and a hotel room. lol !!
Alfredo never saw it coming.
turned out from Lio’s testimony in court, that he, Lio . . was, or had been, a coke dealer “who had paid his debt to society”.
which goes to show, the old adage: never rip off a drug dealer – is true.

ALFREDO-MARTINEZ,-JOSH-HARRIS---COURT
this is the last group of photos on that report, it comes right after the ladies of Gee’s Bend, lol.
and, a motley crew if I ever did see one. the Alfredo – Josh Harris band, not the quilters !!

it was Nov 19, 2002 – the first day of Alfredo’s Phony Basquiat trial, and the crew was out to show their support.

that’s JOSH HARRIS, founder of Jupiter.com, and later Pseudo.com – and the subject of the Sundance 2009 award winning doc . . ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ – left, bottom row.
ALFREDO had a ‘big gun’ / ‘shooting’ gallery at ‘QUIET’, the JOSH HARRIS / million dollar, downtown hard-core artist / millennium party – that sparked ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’.

JEFF GOMPERTZ, to the right, bottom row . . built the infamous ‘bunker’ hotel, based on Japanese pod hotels, that housed the 99 artists, all wired-up for 24/7 surveillance – that was the spine of the ‘WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’ doc.

RIP – that’s my dear friend, MARK ENGER, master silkscreen printer, on the top row – at right.
he’s the drunken ‘cowboy’ in WE LIVE IN PUBLIC’.
he also silk-screened the ‘target’ circles on the Quiet crew’s uniforms.

the funniest part was, as you might gather from the center photo at the top, ALFREDO . . was a natural when it came to faking Basquiats, it was like he ‘spoke in tongues’.

they actually marched out some of his fakes in court, and placed them on a wooden artist tripod. they were pretty damn good. too bad their accompanying ‘letters of authenticity’ – were fictional.

for me, it was quite the day.
first, all day spent in court, downtown, with this crew, and then . . rushing uptown to catch the Gee’s Bend quilters . . opening – at the Whitney.

in some sense, both groups, art world . . . outsiders.

long live the REBELS !!!
LONG LIVE THE OUTLAWS !!!

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH via artnet / ART LOVERS PHOTOS – FEB 2003




~GEE’S BEND . . FLASHBACK: FEB 2003

NOTE: ONE MILE GALLERY, based upstate, in Kingston NY . . .
is presenting some ‘GEE’S BEND’ quilts . . at the Outsider Art Fair in NYC, this weekend / JAN 19 – JAN 22, 2017.
they will be featuring quilts by Gee’s Bend quilters: MARY L. BENNETT, MARY McCARTHY, LUCY MINGO, LOLA PETTWAY, NANCY PETTWAY, RITA MAY PETTWAY & ANN MAE YOUNG . .
at the ‘God’s Love We Deliver’ booth, booth #60.

NOTE: a photo of RITA MAE PETTWAY, standing in front of her grandmother’s quilt, is included below, in my archival artnet pix from – the Whitney’s . . ‘Quilts of Gee’s Bend’ opening, Nov 21, 2002.
and, so you can see the community, and the free-form ‘dialog’ of these quilts – has very deep roots.

yes, these are my photos from the original, game-changing, ‘Gee’s Bend Quilts’ survey exhibit,
which opened Nov 21, 2002 – at the Whitney Museum – in that . . ‘ART LOVERS NEW YORK – FEB 2003’ flashback artnet report.

there’s recently been some buzz circulating that there will be a ‘GEE’S BEND QUILT’ show, this summer 2017 at the MET, but when I called the MET / Metropolitan Museum of Art . . press office to inquire, I was told . . that the show was postponed until next summer 2018 ???

Gee's-bend-Quilts---Whitney-opening

‘GEE’S BEND QUILTS’ opening photos – Whitney, Nov 21, 2002 / published in artnet Feb 2003.
& the very first ‘Gee’s Bend Quilt’ coverage – to receive mainstream, NYC art press.
all photos by me / NANCY SMITH.

note: Houston MFA curator ALVIA WARDLAW, with FAITH RINGGOLD – at center.
& note: the quilt in the top row, extreme right – went on to become a cornerstone ‘Gee’s Bend’ image – going forward.

I was pretty much the ONLY media photographer, let alone art world photographer . . present at the opening.
the woman of ‘Gee’s Bend’ were not famous yet, but I definite helped get the ball rolling – for them !!

part of what made the impact, and sizzle, was how their opening night pix were included among the cutting edge contemporary art, including RACHEL WHITEREAD, going on in the city at the time, which is damn well – straight up !!

thanks again, to . . WALTER ROBINSON, my artnet editor at the time – for having the foresight to do that.

if, you follow artlovers you know I repair old quilts, collect, and study them – so going to the opening was a no-brainer for me.
the woman were . . amazing.
my biggest struggle was understanding their ‘dialect’, especially with me coming out of Montreal, Canada.
but I got the majesty, and relevance of the quilts – right away.
as for them, many of them noticed my hands, where the fingers are thick from so much needlework, and esp hand-stitching thru old quilt layers, and really, many of them grabbed up my hands . . and said:
you are . . a quilter !!

it was a night, like a star-filled sky.




~RACHEL WHITEREAD . . FLASHBACK: FEB 2003

congratulations to British artist . . RACHEL WHITEREAD.
she just won a big international prize – she is one of 6 artists who were honored with . . the International Medal of Arts, by our U.S. Department of State – this recent . . Jan 12, 2017.

Rachel-Whiteread,-photo-by-Nancy-Smith,-2003
RACHEL WHITEREAD – ARCHIVAL PHOTO BY: NANCY SMITH
at her LUHRING AUGUSTINE opening, NYC.
Feb 13, 2003.

YES !! that is MY photo of her – that is blowing up big on google, right now.
it’s from 14 years ago !!
way back in the winter of 2003, when she was just on the cusp of ‘breaking out’ big time, with her first big, and maybe even debut / solo show – in New York City.

the photo was first published on artnet, on my ‘Art Lovers New York – Photos by Nancy Smith’ / report, in what was then called, the ‘PEOPLE’ section of the artnet online magazine, and . . WALTER ROBINSON was the editor.

I did attend the opening, and Walter did post 3 other photos from the opening as well: TOM ECCLES, then director of the Public Art Fund, and artists: CHRISTOPHER WOOL, and JEANNINE ANTONI.

you can see the original report, here: ART LOVERS NEW YORK, ARTNET – WINTER 2003 / 6th row down.

it’s ‘googling’ . . from a slightly later publication, also on artnet . . the LUHRING AUGUSTINE ‘Monograph’ page.
where, interestingly although there is no date, it’s obviously clear, that it’s an archival image – from almost a decade and a half ago, and I guess that’s where the current interest . . lies.

RACHEL-WHITEREAD,-photoby-NANCY-SMITH

see: RACHEL WHITEREAD .. PHOTO BY NANCY SMITH / LUHRING AUGUSTINE / ‘MONOGRAPH’/ ARTNET

NOTE:

with a big shout-out of thanks, to:

CAROLINE BURGHARDT, Director of Publications, Archives & Reproductive Rights at LUHRING AUGUSTINE
for helping me finally – get ARTNET, to insert a proper photo credit – under the photo.
of course, I am particularly proud of this photo, taken more than 14 years ago, and thus for my early contribution – to this artist’s amazing journey & success.




~GARDEN of FORKING PATHS, MAGENTA PLAINS . . incl PETER SUTHERLAND / opens to-nite SUN / after-party w JAH DIVISION

‘GARDEN of FORKING PATHS’ – a group show on the L.E.S.
AURA ROSENBERG, BARBARA ESS, CALVIN MARCUS, CRAIG SMYTH, HANNAH BUONAGURO, HEATHER BURSCH, KEVIN ZUCKER, MEGAN PLUNKETT, NOWORK, PETER SUTHERLAND, RONI SHNEIOR, RYAN FOERSTER, STEEL STILLMAN, THATCHER KEATS
organized by ADAM MARNIE
opens SUN, JAN 8, 2017 / 6 – 8 PM
the show runs thru FEB 12, 2017
MAGENTA PLAINS , 94 ALLEN ST, Lower East Side.
HRS: WED-SUN / 11am – 6pm

“Crystaline memories are adjacent to forgetting, blocked inabilities to remember. One form becomes another. Hands hold hands”.
~MAGENTA PLAINS

f-mag-logo

also: RELEASE PARTY . . for F Magazine, issue 5, at the opening – with a reading by MATT KENNY.

peter-sutherland-window-magenta-plains
PETER SUTHERLAND – WINDOW INSTALLATION / ‘GARDEN of FORKING PATHS’ – ORGANIZED by ADAM MARNIE
MAGENTA PLAINS STOREFRONT & ENTRANCE WINDOOW – 94 ALLEN ST.
IMAGE via Instagram, @petersutherland / pic by @ebayontheblock

jah-division-at-max-fish-nyc

AFTER-PARTY: JAH DIVISION at MAX FISH – 120 ORCHARD ST, LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC.
PLAYING DOWNSTAIRS / “DUBBED OUTER SPACE VERSIONS of JOY DIVISION CLASSICS”
~MAX FISH (!!)




~DIY YARN SANTAS . . .

HURRAY, vintage DIY craft folk art !!
by ANONYMOUS WOMEN !!
with AWESOME . . SKILLS !!

vintage DIY / craft ornaments . . are the most fun, esp those that were done by hand-crochet, or hand-knit.
a lost art – in my humble opinion.
I’m sure these pieces – are bound for a folk art museum, one day.

vintage-crochet-christmas-ornament
vintage DIY hand-crochet Christmas ornament ?
with craft baby doll face . . boo hoo.
it’s about 8 inches in diameter. it’s made of synthetic craft yarn, which doesn’t necessarily mean it was made recently, or even way back in the 60s. it could be even earlier: 1940s, 50s.
“DuPont created the first acrylic fibers in 1941.” ~Wikipedia
one might be able to date it – via the soft plastic baby doll head.
found it last week in a Jersey thrift shop, for like a $1.50.
great hand / caft skills.

reverse-vintage-crochet-christmas-ornament
it actually has a little white button on the reverse, with a tiny loop ‘latch’ at the upper edge, so it must have been . . . an arm muff ?
for carolling, or a school play ?

vintage-crochet-christmas-wool-muff
wah !!!!!

vintage-crochet-yarn-pot-holder-christmas
this Christmas ‘pot holder’, looks to be made by the same maker.
the crochet stitches are similar in size & tension, and the yarn is identical.
same wonderful DIY homemaker / craftsperson made these 2 pieces. they were kept safe and treasured and then, somehow they end up in a thrift shop.
well, at least they have a found a new home, to be loved & appreciated in.

diy-vintage-pot-holder-christmas-with-tiny-bells
it’s also about 8 inches in diameter, and it even has tiny craft metal bells, inside the yarn ‘bells’, that tiny chime, and charm. the attention to detail is amazing.
so American, at its best.

vintage-hand-crochet-christmas-pocket-ornament
this tiny ‘Santa’ Christmas tree, home-made yarn ornament . . looks to be made by another craftswoman, even though the yarn is similar, because of the difference in the ‘weight’ & tension of the crochet stitching. also, the googly craft eyes, make me feel it’s like . . 1960s, 70s ?
it’s amazing how mint condition, clean and perfect all these forgotten ‘folk art’ pieces are.
this little craft Santa is approx 5 inches in height, and about 3 inches wide at its middle.

vintage-diy-christmas-crochet-santa-ornament-w-back-pocket
it even has a ‘backing’ , so it’s a . . ‘pocket’ ornament, to put small gifts into . . like candy or jewelery. the sweetest.
truly, joy-ful.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH




~PLASTIC SANTA . . .

this year, I really got into ‘seeking’ out vintage / plastic Christmas tree ornaments.
if living in Jersey City Heights has a silver lining, the thrift shops are . . the cake.
most of these came in small $1.50 baggies – of assorted finds. usually 5 or 6 to a bag.
try to find that – in Brooklyn, or Manhattan now – no way, those days are long gone.
you’d be paying a pretty penny, and maybe even up to $25 a piece.
besides the thrill of the hunt, the locals are clueless . . the crazy wonderful tactile sense of these crazy old kind of hard plastic (vinyl ?) is beyond tactile-in-words description.
they have a magic, and a luminosity . .
you wouldn’t . . expect.
not to forget history, graphic narrative & design / re: beginning mass consumerism – charm.
plus the . . colors. colored plastic is the best, whether opaque or transparent.

file under:
endless fascination for the visually – skewered / hammered ?
and, a sheer delight for all us, retro graphics – nerds.

vintage-plastic-christmas-doily-1
vintage plastic ‘lace’ doily, a softer plastic. but strangely, more . . actually: VERY opaque.
somewhat pliable, too.
very strangely shifting shape to the heat, or the cold / coming in from the window.
almost . . alive, I tell ya !!

vintage-plastic-christmas-doily-3
so vintage, the ‘red’ dye is not permanently ‘set’.
lol, try finding that – in a contemporary place mat.
traveling ‘red’ – a sure of age, whether it be vintage quilts, or vintage ‘faux’ plastic lace.

vintage-plastic-santa-ornament
vintage plastic Santa Christmas tree ornaments, these are so wild – they defy the imagination.
whoever thought this up ?
what can we do with plastic – that we can’t do with . . glass ?!!

vintage-red-plastic-christmas-santa-ornament
the luminosity – is wicked.

dteial-red-plastic-vintage-christmas-santa-ornament
and, the ‘skirts’. well, trying making that out of glass. shards ?
design-wise, really – blew me away.
what planet did these toy makers come from ?

vintage-green-plastic-christmas-santa-ornament
well, whatever happened to plastic – it sure ain’t the same, today.

detail-green-vintage-plastic-christmas-santa
I don’t think these were made in Va-China, either.

faux-stained-glass-plastic-cadinal-christmas-ornament
faux ‘stained glass’ Cardinal.
my new totem. it used to be a crow, for decades: advance wave, publicity-hounds, talkers to dead people, storytellers, first greeters / ghost messengers, bloggers etc etc, but ever since I saw one, a beautiful red male Cardinal in my recently located from Lower East Side, after 30 years . . Jersey backyard 3 years ago: I’ve stepped up the evolutionary ladder.
not for better or worse, just for: new (self-knowledge). (& not completely attained, yet.)

vintage-red-plastic-christmas-lantern-ornament
these hard plastic lanterns must have been very popular at one time. the 40s. 50s. 60s ?
who knows. time is passing by so fleetly, the 70s are the new 40s. if you follow vintage stuff, you know what I mean.

vintage-red-plastic-candy-cane-lantern-christmas-ornament
this one has a tiny candy cane, tell me about: luminosity.
I’m such a retro freak – it must have something to do with contemporary art / guess I just like living life . . on the extremes: the old & the . . cutting edge.
nothing in-between.

besides: there’s a lot of luminosity in the digital realm. computer images, graphics & filters, etc etc / digital photography . . is incredibly luminous vs old stock film.

vintage-plastic-christmas-lantern-ornament
‘acid’ tonality . . sharp, sleek, fleet or what !!

rocking-horse-vintage-plastic-christmas-ornament
this one has a tiny rocking horse inside.
collective cultural memories of sailors putting DIY miniature ships in bottles.
even though they are plastic, it’s a pretty brittle kind of hard plastic, if you drop them, and they land hard – they can chip or break.
didn’t quite catch the light, here.
luminosity . . is in the hands of the photographer.

hanging-red-plastic-vintage-christmas-lantern-tree-ornament
these looked more like Japanese hanging lanterns.

lit-candle-vintage-plastic-christmas-tree-ornament
this one has a ‘lit’ candle.
great violent . . blue.

vintage-plastic-christmas-tree-ornment-with-deer
this one echoed the traditional glass globe Christmas tree ornaments, with a tiny deer scenario.
Bambi.

vintage-plastic-snowball-christmas-ornament
these round ones had some kind of ‘spackle’ on their exteriors.
snowballs !!
cut in half.

vintage-plastic-ssnowball-ornament-with-bell
they had various miniature trinkets inside, too.

vintage-glass-christmas-ornament
they were take-offs on these kind of older, traditional glass ball Christmas ornaments.
riff, riff, riff. the jazz of Christmas past.

vintage-snoopy-christmas-ornament
the only glass one I bought, I fumbled and broke. I thought it was . . plastic !!
oh lord, the glass vs plastic wars.
and, it was such a find: SNOOPY !!
from the 70s.
the dreaded treasure . . drop. heart-broken is not the word.

vintage-faux-stained-glass-ornament
but, then I found this, a kind of mid-century modern, faux stained glass . . suburban house ornament, really magic in the light dept. other years, I would have completely overlooked this as: tacky.
now it’s . . treasure above all.
also the colors are so . . pastel-ly.

vintage-santa-ornament
here comes Santa, also looks so . . suburban !!

nintage-plastic-goofy-christmas-ornament
hey, lose a SNOOPY, gain a . . GOOFY !!

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH